The Lost

Hard Times

"How could you have possibly finished?" He questioned, motioning to his half finished second essay that night.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, looking up from the book he had decided to read while everyone else finished.

"You completed all of your essays in just over an hour."

"Excuse me?" Harry said, sitting forward and straightening out his scrolls looking to Theo, "Why did I take that long, I should have been finished... oh never mind, I added an extra foot to Transfiguration and Charms."

"You are remarkably strange." Draco informed him seriously, and Harry sniffed.

"I am not strange, others merely do not understand my greatness."

Silence met his words before they cracked up and all fell about laughing, and Harry couldn't help but grin; Salazar had received the same response when he had said the same thing to the other three Founders.

Dinner, in Harry's personal opinion, came around way too fast, and it took a lot more force of will to make himself go up to the Great Hall that he would have imagined.

"You get to escape to Potions tomorrow." Draco pointed out, noticing his new friend's darkening mood.

"That is good," Harry allowed, "But I still have to be with her."

The two mirrored Harry's expression of distaste, offering no words as there wasn't anything to say; he would have to be around those two. Evangeline was waiting for him when he left the Great Hall and Harry nodded to the other Snakes, walking over to her and silently following her when she walked off. They arrived at private class room, and Harry stepped in, only for him to freeze in the doorway.

Obviously the rooms were meant to illustrate Gryffindor pride, but it was done so very badly that Harry felt his eyes begin to water. There was no mixing of tones, or blending of colours, everything in Harry's sight was either a vibrant red or a burnished gold; it was something else.

He pointedly ignored Evangeline on her boasting about the room."Why would you want to? We are a Gryffindor House." Evangeline told him.

"But I don't like it." Harry pointed out, and Evangeline didn't even offer an answer. James just laughed messing up Harry's hair some more.

"Hello, Harry," Dumbledore greeted with a smile, and Harry nodded in return. He took the chair furthest away from the rest of the two, noting, with disgust, Evangeline seemed to be very smug about something.

"So, Harry," Dumbledore began, "What is your favourite lesson so far?"

"Potions," He responded instantly, and James smiled with rememberence while the other two wrinkled their noses. "It was mother's favourite subject.

"But Potions," Evangeline said disgusted, ignoring the look that James threw her, "Why would you even enjoy it? It's not even real magic. My favourite subject is Transfiguration — just like dad. Potions is the absolute worst and Snape is mean to me."

"What did he do?" Dumbledore questioned, his voice melding between anger and concern. Harry noted, with amused derision, that the conversation had switched back to the wonder child almost instantly, and he was kind of impressed; that did not take long at all.

"He purposely embarrassed me in front of the whole class by asking me really hard questioned that no one else would have known either. And he made fun of me because I defeated Voldemort." Evangeline told him angrily, crossing her arms with a huff, and James looked furious.

"I cannot believe you are going to try and pull that ridiculousness." Harry said to Evangeline in disdain, "For one, I answered all the questions after you failed to, and two, you didn't even know where to find a bezoar."

"Evangeline! Is this true?" James exclaimed, looking at his daughter with wide eyes, "That is basic knowledge that could save your life!"

"What's a bezoar again?" Evangeline asked, and, for a split second, Harry caught sight of a flash of disgust on James' face as she turned to look at him; Harry wondered what that was about. It was obvious, even from the very small amount of time Harry had spent with his family, that Evangeline, got what she wanted through Dumbledore not James.

"I will have to talk to him." Was all Dumbledore said.

"Harry, how are you finding school so far? Are you struggling with anything?" James asked, looking away from his daughter.

"No, I'm top of the year like I expected to be." Harry responded.

"That's not possible," Evangeline denied instantly, "I have far more advanced training; I must be top."

"Really?" Harry drawled skeptically, "Maybe, if that is the case, you should begin showing it rather than getting fawned over by your questionable company."

"What do you mean?"

"He means Hermione," Evangeline cut him off before he could answer, "On the train he called her the 'M' word."

"Harry that is not okay." Dumbledore scolded, and Harry didn't so much as blink, regarding the man with an expressionless face, "It is degrading, and should never be used. How could you? Your own mother is Muggleborn."

"First of all, I actually didn't mean the Granger girl: I was speaking about that Weasley boy, he doesn't have two brain cells to lose by the looks of things. He's completely idiotic and hangs off Evangeline like she's a trophy; its disgusting." Harry corrected, his voice cool, and he ignored Dumbledore and Evangeline's outraged looks. "Secondly, if you knew anything about true history or etiology of words, you would know that the term Mudblood is not actually a degrading word, it's the original name for those of muggle birth and used to be worn as a badge of honour. And finally, if any of you had an ounce of common sense, you would know that my mother is not, in actual fact, a Mudblood, but a Redeemed."

"A what?" James questioned and Harry blinked; Merlin hadn't told him 'redeemed' was no longer used.

"A child blessed with magic from a squib line: called Redeemed because the line in which they come from has obviously been redeemed by magic as they were gifted with her powers." Harry explained.

"There's no such thing." Dumbledore waved him off. Harry found it incredibly difficult not to scowl at him, what did they know?

"Fine ignore me, I don't particularly care. It does mean that I don't actually have to waist my breath talking to you." With that, Harry got up and went to the other training room wanting this to be over.